sábado, 28 de fevereiro de 2015

WARRIORS AIM TO START TITLE DEFENCE ON GOOD NOTE

Great Eastern Yeo's S.League champions Warriors FC take on RHB Singapore Cup winners Balestier Khalsa in the traditional curtain-raiser to the season.

The two will meet in the Great Eastern Charity Shield which pits the winners of the League and Cup. The match will also double up as a league match.

Warriors coach Alex Weaver will be keen for his side to carry over their form from last season, as they aim to defend their title and spark another period of dominance. A win in the Charity Shield will be a good start to begin with.

In a bid to continue their winning ways, Weaver has retained all five foreigners, all of whom are the core of the team, while bringing in a mix of promising and experienced locals.

Daniel Bennett, Shi Jiayi, Hafiz Rahim and Irwan Shah have also extended their stay with the most successful club in Singapore.

Hafiz feels that the whole team knows what is expected of them come Sunday. The attacking midfielder said: “We are the defending champions and we are already looking forward to defend the title. If we win, it will be a confidence booster for the season. “

“It is still early to determine how our season will go, but we are going to try to kick-start our season with a win. The key is to work together, go into the game with a positive mindset and hopefully, we can win the game.”

Both teams have suffered losses in their AFC Cup games, but for Warriors, it was their third competitive game of the year. That might give them an advantage over the Tigers who, in contrast, have almost an entirely new squad and only played one competitive fixture.

A trio of Croatians will be making their debut in Singapore shores and will no doubt be the key for them - midfielders Robert Periric, Tarik Cmajcanin and striker Miroslav Kristic have already put up some good performances in pre-season friendlies.

The club has also picked up two promising youngsters in Ignatius Ang and Mahathir Azeman. The latter made waves as the first Singaporean to play in Brazil, but unfortunately he will be out for the first half of the year with injuries.

However, it is worth noting that the Tigers have not lost to Warriors in the last eight match-ups, a run that stretches back to September 2012. Balestier captain Zaiful Nizam hopes that the record will play on their opponents' minds and give his team a psychological boosts before the match starts.

Said Zaiful: “Yes, I think it will give us a boost. But we also have to be prepared ourselves, and make sure we give our best. We can’t expect to turn up and just win the game. It was through preparation and hard work that we won the RHB Singapore Cup last year. Of course, there’s also luck involved in every matches."

“It also doesn’t matter if our opponents for the game is a top team, we just have to give our best and see how it goes from there. Hopefully it will be us winning the game.”

Key Man To Watch

Warriors FC: Nicolas Velez

Velez will undoubtedly be the key man for Warriors once again. The Argentinian was their top scorer last year as he fired his team to the S.League title.

There is no doubt that he will be the main source of goals this year. While Velez has not gotten off the mark in the first three games (ACL Playoffs and AFC Cup) this season, do not count against him to get his name on the scoresheet as he aims for the Golden Boot this year.

Balestier Khalsa: Zaiful Nizam

The goalkeeper is not only just the goalkeeper for his team, but he is also the source of inspiration for his team-mates on the pitch.

The Balestier captain’s astounding performances in the last two years have helped the Tigers to two trophies - (2013 Starhub League Cup and 2014 RHB Singapore Cup) - and he will once again be needed to be in top form if his side wants to add the Great Eastern Charity Shield to their cabinet collection.

Harimau Muda face a tough campaign opener as they make the trip over to Brunei to face Brunei DPMM at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

Last year’s last-placed team will have to contend with a hungry DPMM who are looking to lay their hands on the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League title

Another reason why it will be a daunting task for the Young Tigers is because of their record last year. Last season’s statistics show the league’s best attack will be going up against the the worst defence. DPMM scored 63 goals last year, while Harimau conceded 67 goals.

DPMM may have lost frontmen Rodrigo Tosi and Roy O’Donovan, but they have recruited wisely and brought in former English Premier League striker Craig Fagan.

However, one should not underestimate the Young Tigers this season. The Malaysian side has brought back players with S.League experience and that should see them giving more matured performances this year.

Last year, Harimau were often exposed for their lack of concentration during the latter stages of the match.

Goalkeeper Farhan Abu Bakar, defender and captain Nazirul Naim Hashim, forward Syahrul Azwari and midfielder Ariff Farhan Isa played in the S.League in 2012, when they were part of a side which challenged for the title and eventually finished in fourth.